The Orangery, Maidstone Summer Wedding with Dan & Sarah

Having worked so close to The Orangery, Maidstone in my earlier years as a photographer, to say I was a little excited to be working there for Dan & Sarah's wedding day is a little bit of an understatement. The grounds especially really impressed, and affords couples getting married there so many opportunities for awesome photos through the day. Sadly on this occasion, we were at the mercy of the weather a little bit, but there was always a plan B throughout, and it certainly didn't dampen anyone's spirits!

After familiarising myself with the venue and gardens, I headed over to see Sarah and the girls getting ready for my usual mixture of candid bridal prep photos and some of the important wedding details. Sarah even did a great job of balancing getting her hair and makeup done with looking after her young daughter as well, keeping her amused with Peppa Pig clips on her phone.

As the guests began to arrive, so did the rain, but luckily there was space indoors for everyone to shelter. Sadly, the outdoor ceremony also had to be moved inside, but the venue staff were quick to adapt, moving all the chairs into place in good time. Soon, Sarah, her dad and the bridal party were heading over to a waiting Dan and all their guests.

As the weather remained unsettled, we kept our time outdoors to a minimum for now, with a quick dash outside for big group photo and confetti throw, before the remainder of the group photos in the ceremony room (which had been very quickly been cleared of chairs, and luckily had very good light!) Before long it was time for the wedding breakfast, but Dan & Sarah had a bit of pre-dinner entertainment lined up.

Inspired by their love of escape rooms, each table had an 'escape box' - a sort of puzzle for everyone on the table to solve. Once they managed to unlock it, of course! This was a great way to start the reception, and something I've never seen before! The meal was swiftly followed by the speeches, and as the rain had finally stopped, it was time for some couples photos outside.

We could have spent hours exploring the outside spaces, so had to prioritise a little as we hadn't envisioned fitting everything in at this point in the day. Back inside, it was time for the cake cut and first dance, with the LED love letters sat next to the dancefloor, and a photobooth as well! But the best was yet to come. To finish off my coverage for the day, there were a fireworks display over the lake, with some sparkler fun and some creative photos to wrap things up. What a great day, even with the rain, and a fantastic end to the wedding for Dan & Sarah.

Whether you're planning a big lavish wedding, or something much smaller, head over to my wedding photography page for prices and lots of information on how I can help make your day as memorable and as awesome as possible! You can also get in touch to enquire about your wedding date to see if I'm available.